Endeavour star Shaun Evans will also be directing the first episode of the season, having made his directorial debut in Season 6.

The official synopsis for Season 7 reads: “The new trilogy of films mark Endeavour and his colleagues entering a new decade and era of change.

“Opening on New Year’s Eve 1970, normal order has been resumed, and the team reunited at Castle Gate CID, with Chief Superintendent Bright back in charge. However, the events of the past year have left their mark, and the new series will see old friendships challenged and new relationships blossom.

“In the dawn of women’s liberation, social progression and scientific growth, the 1970s begin for Oxford’s finest with the discovery of a body at the canal towpath on New Year’s Day. With the only clue in the investigation a witness who heard whistling on the night of the crime, the team have their work cut out to uncover their culprit.”

Executive producer Damien Timmer commented: “It’s a thrill to enter a new decade and tell more tales of the not-quite-so-young-now Endeavour Morse, to be transmitted half a century after they took place!”

He added: “Russell [Lewis] has some very striking stories to tell in this new set of films which we hope will baffle, unnerve and delight the show’s fans!”